Backpacking
07-06-2016, 06:05 PM
First rule of backpacking and hiking:
Less is more.
The important gear you need is food, fluids and clothing.
now I can understand why your generation requires filtered water, all because you were raised in a household where everything is a disinfectant cleaner, meaning your body has not been fighting as many micro-beasts, so drinking natures not so filtered water will most likely make you have the outhouse trots, if no kill ya.
the Second rule of Backpacking is:
One will do ya.
Try to reduce your load by using a multipurpose thing. Instead of taking your kettle, pan, and pot, get a decent pot that can function for all things.
Since this is your first go round, I remind you that walking with an extra 60+ pounds on your back is difficult even on a paved level surface. If you are going into Mom Natures territory you will rapidly discover that she doesn't do pavement, and level surfaces tend to be occupied by things like trees. mind trees don't move out of your way, so that means walking around.
As newton learned us, a body in motion tends to stay in motion, meaning that even a simple change in your trajectory, turning, will mean you are fighting that silly law Newton invented to frustrate us, and that pack will work muscles that you most likely never felt before.
Tent: Seriously? Back Packing is supposed to be seriously roughing it, where you get damp, get cold, get eaten alive by flying blood sucking vampires.
I would strongly suggest that you do day packing with heavier and heavier loads close enough to your car to where when you get exhausted (and you will) you can crawl back to your car.
Third rule of Backpacking:
Blisters are no fun.
Serious consequences can take place if your feet get blisters. Even a small one can seriously slow you down and how are you going to fight (or run from) a bear, coyote, wolf or other highly skilled predators that you might meat... or be meat for?
If you bought a new pair of boots or hiking shoes for this venture you will get blisters. Again, gaining serious weight instantly will place more downward force on those peds of yours. I blame Newton, he was the idiot who decided to invent Gravity.
i don't know your body, so I can't reccomend a specific pack frame, but if you picked the wrong back-pack with a frame that doesn't fit your body, or let you firmly secure that hip belt (which is where most of the weight is carried) you will have serious complications, such and falling backwards and playing the dying turtle... since turtles get stuck on their backs and tend to never get back on their feet.
There are a lot of forums out there for hikers and backpackers. Many have suggested lists and can give you lots of information.
Camping with a car or truck to haul your gear is nothing like packing your shit all over natures living room.
I do hope you are going someplace that has been made into trails, as the division of forestry take a lot of time to plot the paths and then they maintain the paths, reducing the work your body will have to do to hike.
Nest law of Backpacking:
Carry as much on your hips as you can.
The pelvis is designed to carry massive loads. your back not so much. This means you want to rest as much of that extra weight on your hips. A good belt with pockets and pouchs tends to work real well at holding a few pounds, taking the stress of your spine. Trust me, once the spine is wrecked its all down hill from there - meaning iif you damage it your future will consist of canes, walkers and possibly wheel chairs.
Nutrition is very, very important. The body uses sugars for energy. You will find that trail mixes and other camping/hiking foods are high in the carb and protein department. You might also know that diabetics keep sugary foods and high protein foods for when they overdose on insulin and their sugar crashes. Sugar is the first thing they eat to rapidly boost glucose levels, then they eat protein to stabilize and maintain the glucose level past the sugar rush.
Trail mix is older than dirt - well the idea of it. Eating a mouthful of trail mix or similar energy often food as you hike to prevent energy crash is more important carrying a load.
Inventory your crap, and then gather it all in one location and look at it critically. Then ask yourself what can I survive without. Mind surviving and living are two different things.
If you are planing on taking more than one pair of jeans, one pair of shorts, one shirt of various types you are going to pay a high price. backpacking is not a clean sport... This means your clothing will reek of sweat, smoke and other things... and if you make a few kills along the way for food expect blood stains. Blood is hard to clean out of fabrics...
I would suggest you look through your closet and find well worn, comfortable clothing that you won't mind being splattered with interesting colorful substances. And of course being caked with dirt, possibly even being filled with shit since nature living tends to accelerate many bodily functions.
I did serious survival training in a few environments. basically hand me a good knife and I'm good. The things I would take off your list would be the tent, the stool, the wipes, the hand sanitizer (face reality, nature doesn't keep a sterile house - get used to it, embrace it and let your body deal with the germs as it is SUPPOSE to do).
I think the major problem here is you have become too attached to luxury things like indoor plumbing, soap, and shelter. the whole point of packing and hiking is to leave all that crap behind and become one with the world - the real world - and put so called civilization behind you.
Less is more.
The important gear you need is food, fluids and clothing.
now I can understand why your generation requires filtered water, all because you were raised in a household where everything is a disinfectant cleaner, meaning your body has not been fighting as many micro-beasts, so drinking natures not so filtered water will most likely make you have the outhouse trots, if no kill ya.
the Second rule of Backpacking is:
One will do ya.
Try to reduce your load by using a multipurpose thing. Instead of taking your kettle, pan, and pot, get a decent pot that can function for all things.
Since this is your first go round, I remind you that walking with an extra 60+ pounds on your back is difficult even on a paved level surface. If you are going into Mom Natures territory you will rapidly discover that she doesn't do pavement, and level surfaces tend to be occupied by things like trees. mind trees don't move out of your way, so that means walking around.
As newton learned us, a body in motion tends to stay in motion, meaning that even a simple change in your trajectory, turning, will mean you are fighting that silly law Newton invented to frustrate us, and that pack will work muscles that you most likely never felt before.
Tent: Seriously? Back Packing is supposed to be seriously roughing it, where you get damp, get cold, get eaten alive by flying blood sucking vampires.
I would strongly suggest that you do day packing with heavier and heavier loads close enough to your car to where when you get exhausted (and you will) you can crawl back to your car.
Third rule of Backpacking:
Blisters are no fun.
Serious consequences can take place if your feet get blisters. Even a small one can seriously slow you down and how are you going to fight (or run from) a bear, coyote, wolf or other highly skilled predators that you might meat... or be meat for?
If you bought a new pair of boots or hiking shoes for this venture you will get blisters. Again, gaining serious weight instantly will place more downward force on those peds of yours. I blame Newton, he was the idiot who decided to invent Gravity.
i don't know your body, so I can't reccomend a specific pack frame, but if you picked the wrong back-pack with a frame that doesn't fit your body, or let you firmly secure that hip belt (which is where most of the weight is carried) you will have serious complications, such and falling backwards and playing the dying turtle... since turtles get stuck on their backs and tend to never get back on their feet.
There are a lot of forums out there for hikers and backpackers. Many have suggested lists and can give you lots of information.
Camping with a car or truck to haul your gear is nothing like packing your shit all over natures living room.
I do hope you are going someplace that has been made into trails, as the division of forestry take a lot of time to plot the paths and then they maintain the paths, reducing the work your body will have to do to hike.
Nest law of Backpacking:
Carry as much on your hips as you can.
The pelvis is designed to carry massive loads. your back not so much. This means you want to rest as much of that extra weight on your hips. A good belt with pockets and pouchs tends to work real well at holding a few pounds, taking the stress of your spine. Trust me, once the spine is wrecked its all down hill from there - meaning iif you damage it your future will consist of canes, walkers and possibly wheel chairs.
Nutrition is very, very important. The body uses sugars for energy. You will find that trail mixes and other camping/hiking foods are high in the carb and protein department. You might also know that diabetics keep sugary foods and high protein foods for when they overdose on insulin and their sugar crashes. Sugar is the first thing they eat to rapidly boost glucose levels, then they eat protein to stabilize and maintain the glucose level past the sugar rush.
Trail mix is older than dirt - well the idea of it. Eating a mouthful of trail mix or similar energy often food as you hike to prevent energy crash is more important carrying a load.
Inventory your crap, and then gather it all in one location and look at it critically. Then ask yourself what can I survive without. Mind surviving and living are two different things.
If you are planing on taking more than one pair of jeans, one pair of shorts, one shirt of various types you are going to pay a high price. backpacking is not a clean sport... This means your clothing will reek of sweat, smoke and other things... and if you make a few kills along the way for food expect blood stains. Blood is hard to clean out of fabrics...
I would suggest you look through your closet and find well worn, comfortable clothing that you won't mind being splattered with interesting colorful substances. And of course being caked with dirt, possibly even being filled with shit since nature living tends to accelerate many bodily functions.
I did serious survival training in a few environments. basically hand me a good knife and I'm good. The things I would take off your list would be the tent, the stool, the wipes, the hand sanitizer (face reality, nature doesn't keep a sterile house - get used to it, embrace it and let your body deal with the germs as it is SUPPOSE to do).
I think the major problem here is you have become too attached to luxury things like indoor plumbing, soap, and shelter. the whole point of packing and hiking is to leave all that crap behind and become one with the world - the real world - and put so called civilization behind you.
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